How does the Kindle compare to the Nook? I have been looking into buying either one. Just don't know how they compare.. Thanks!

you mean Kindle SO will not work outside US?

The Kindle will work for reading, but the Special Offers are only available in the US, if I understand it properly.

You can't buy a KSO if you are outside the U.S., but it will work if you are a U.S. resident traveling outside the U.S. Your home country is determined by the billing address on your credit card.

"How does the Kindle compare to the Nook? I have been looking into buying either one. Just don't know how they compare.. Thanks!"

The new Nook has a touch screen and some kind of technology that evidently improves page turning. It also natively reads ePub files, which means you can shop for ebooks with DRM at more online stores.

But other than that the Kindle has a lot more features and is tied to the best ebook store in existence right now. You can buy (or get classics for free) in mobi format ebooks without DRM from several other online sellers. Amazon also provides better customer service than all the other e-reader companies.

In the end it really depends on what kinds of things are most important to you as an individual that determine which e-reader would best suit you.

Vickie,
To Robin's points, I'll add a couple of others.

-- 1a. The "3G" Kindle has 3G cellphone network access and you can look up things on the web almost anywhere you are, at any time.
-- 1b. The new Nook Touch does not have '3G' web access. You have to find a local WiFi Network to download your book.

-- 2a. The Kindle has a web browser that can read web articles in "Article Mode' concentrating on the article, with a cleaner layout..
You can use the web browser to look up things on the Web/Net with no monthly or hourly charges.
-- 2b. The new Nook Touch has no web browser at all, not even in WiFi mode. The old Nook had a decent one to use with WiFi but not with its 3G model, which was limited to the company store.

-- 3a. The Kindle has a music player that can play your mp3's in the background.
-- 3b. The Nook has no music player.

-- 4a. The Kindle reads personal docs, newspapers, magazines, and books the publisher approves for text-to-speech (tts). It's computerized but better than most computer voices and is useful for times when you have to cook, wash dishes, driving...
-- 4b. The Nook Simple Touch doesn't have text-to-speech

-- 5a. You can buy and download books from Amazon while outside the U.S.
The Kindle's web browser is usable in about 60 countries.
Its '3G' Amazon book downloads are available in about 100 countries.
-- 5b. No one outside the U.S. can buy a Barnes & Noble book for the new Nook, not even a traveling U.S. resident. No web browsing is possible ever.

-- 6a. The Kindle can zoom any photo to full screen by clicking in the center of it.
-- 6b. The new Nook can't. Not even maps with small text.

-- 7a. You can switch the Kindle to Landscape mode for regular books
-- 7b. The new Simple Touch Nook has no Landscape mode for reading.

PDFs that can't be read in Landscape mode on a 6" screen are often just not readable.

-- 8a. B&N advertises the Nook store has 2 million books but counts the free google books, which are about 1.5 million.
-- 8b. For the Kindle, an outfit offers Free immediate conversions from Google's ePub to Kindle format always, and we can do it ourselves in about 2-3 minutes w/Calibre and send it to the Kindle or side-laod it.

[Edited the link to correct it 5/30/11]
See http://bit.ly/milkbooks for how easy the conversion is, either by the Kindle owner or for free by the small publishing outfit who then puts up a copy of each converted files for anyone to download in Kindle format.

-- 9a. Kindle users can download, directly to the Kindle, over 2 million Kindle-compatible books & docs from Internet Archive also -- either MOBI or text format. Sideloading is rarely needed as it is for the Nook.
Other bookstores with huge mobi book stock are feedbooks.com and manybooks.net.
-- 9b. For non-B&N books, the new Nook's owner must "sideload" other bookstores' books because it has no web browser. It can't directly download them as the Kindle can.

-- 10a. Amazon supports MS Word Doc files. I can highlight sections from several websites, copy/paste them to a Word doc, send the file to Amazon servers and it gets sent to my Kindle via WiFi, converted. It's very useful for work and informational docs.
-- 10b. New Nook e-Ink model does not support WORD doc files.

-- 11a. B&N advertises that the Nook can access all AT&T hotspots and says that the Kindle cannot.
-- 11b. Amazon has always advertised that the Kindle 3' has free access to AT&T hotspots.

That's it for now.

- Andrys
http://kindleworld.blogspot.com

Why can't I get 'special offers' on my 3G kindle I just bought instead of only on the '$146 special offers' Kindle?

Best idea so far!

@teach,

The 3G/Wi-Fi Kindle without special offers is $189. The same model with special offers is $25 less expensive ($164) because the buyers have agreed to see ads and special offers as their screen savers. Plus, there is a small "strip" ad at the bottom of their home screen.

If you purchased your 3G Kindle less than 30 days ago, you can return it and then purchase the one with the ads and special offers.

The ads and special offers are not in any of the books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, and games and do not interfere with your reading.

I believe that will be taking my SO back. Being a nook kindaguy, I did not really understand the "deal" I had bought into. My fault for not researching, however, I have seen no offers that I am even remotely interested in, and I would just as soon pay more NOT to have the ads or perhaps just save up and get an iPad2 and the free kindle app. The iPhone app is great, but my old eyes are straining to read it.

I was under impressed with the new nook color, and too it back. My major concern was that many of my "old" free books would not down load or open. Since then, I discovered that the same thing is happening with my nook classic. I believe that the new OS is at fault.
I got the kindle to compare with the nook classic and think that the ink contrast is much sharper and the text is clearer. I also want to check out the external key board, which is somewhat easier to use, but I am no super texter in the first place, however, it does seem that yall "two thumbers" will have an advantage with that.
Also, on one hand, I have been able to get books for my kindle iPhone app in the past that B&N does not offer for so me reason, however, on the other hand nook has access to many more different "types" of ebooks/epubs.
I have yet to hook the kindle into my computer to see how well I can manage it, but the nook is very easy to manage from my Mac, and I can add all sorts of screen savers, and books to the nook from it.
Given that I got the kindle SO, my bad for not researching (plus Target and Best Buy did not have the $139 kindles), I don't know if one can even get at the screen-savers, but it seems that they would get overwritten by the ADs.
At this point, I am more inclined to return, the SO, put the money back into my play savings and get the iPad2 and free kindle/nook app (which I strongly recommend in place of the nook color at this time)

Regarding Arts&HistoryFan/Kindleworld says:
There are some wrong points here. Although I was unhappy with the nook color, and returned it, I will say that:
*First a major OS upgrade just came out this month,
*It has apps offerings now not as varied as the Apple Store, but evidently nook QC has to go through the apps because Droid is not a "picky" as Apple with regard to apps development complacence.
*It can handle PDF files directly there is an additional features app
*It can handle a world of different electronic documents as compared to kindle.
*It is easily managed from one's computer and additional free docs can be installed into it from there. Direct side-loading with no conversions necessary. E.g. I buy Webber's and Ringo's hard backs, and at times a CD containing many other stories is included; drag and drop side-load and I have them on my nook.
*However, I believe the new OS has messed up the nook's ability to process the free Google books. Mine would no longer open nor download after I installed the software.
*Nook customer service often seems to be in the dark when one contacts them. I believe that there is a keyword bot and canned answer system in place; e.g. One can detail the steps one took in trouble shooting and the response often suggests that one perform those steps AND then get back in contact with them. I have been happy with Amazon customer service in all my dealings with them.
*The nook color will landscape with any book as long the prefs are set up correctly, and the BOOK is set up for it. I, personally, have no use for landscape in reading a book.
*Image zooming depends on the book, not the nook. When I zoom on my old nook classic, the zooms were blurred. My major complaint was that the nook classic often had images cut in half or part would be on one page and the rest on a different page -they were not multi page images.
*As of the time that I returned the nook color, there were not all that many books that took advantage of the color except the ten million Cat who rode Horton and Who's Green Eggs and Ham was Grinched kinda books. I downloaded what they had listed as illustrated books which turned out to have not one page of illustration and the one comic that I got was in B&W. Pfffftttttt!!!!

Glenn,
I was replying re the new Nook, which is the Simple Touch one (not the Nookcolor which I have and which had the update you mention. In fact I'm using fhe NookColor to reply).

- Andrys
Kindleworld.blogspot.com

When are you going to offer the ad screensavers option to current owners like me who won't mind the ads in exchange for the good deals? I already have a wifi/3g kindle and will wait to buy the next upgrade like I did on previous models. It would be great if you would consider allowing your loyal customer base the option to get the ads. Although it would be nice, I wouldn't expect to get the $25 rebate.

I don't work for Amazon, BUT I could see how this could be done via a software "upgrade" that could be available through the site. It wouldn't be pushed automatically. It would have to be selected, terms & conditions agreed upon, then downloaded to the individual user's Kindle.

Free software upgrade to get the current and future special offers.

The Kindle with Special Offers and the idea of special offers seem to be very popular.

That's exactly what I am hoping for. Seems easy enough.

@taniasews: If you want to be certain that someone from Amazon hears your request, send an email to kindle-feedback@amazon.com - we are mainly Kindle owners here, not from Amazon. Amazon CS rarely come in here.

I glad someone liked the idea. I just sent it to the site someone else suggested. I've already sent it via the website.

We'll what, if anything, happens.

I thought I'd read somewhere in the forum that the latest version of the operating system (3.2 something?) was being shipped on all new Kindles, both the SO ones and the others. If that's true, then maybe the SO feature is just something that can be turned on at Amazon's end, and could be set for any K3 if they ever decided to do that. Don't quote me though; I might have read it all wrong ;)

If I go to the US and buy the KSO 3G/WIFI 164$, will it work in EUROPE?

Hmmm, used K2 3Gs are going for around $65 on Ebay - more with charging cord and cover. If I sell mine, buy the K3 3GSO, and take the offer for the $100 gift certificate with the Amazon credit card, the $165 price is immediately paid.

Serious new Kindle lust going on here....

@ppcsue,

I received my Wi-Fi / 3G Kindle with ads and special options on Thursday, May 26. The software version it has is Kindle 3.2.1.

Perhaps someone who very recently took delivery of a different Kindle model can let us know which software version it shipped with.

@orlie,

The ads and special offers are only available to US residents. In order to purchase the $164 Kindle, you would need a credit card with a US billing address. You would also need "proof" that you were a US resident, so you might also need a US shipping address.

@R. Larkin,

Unfortunately, the special offer of receiving the $100 http://Amazon.com Gift Card when you obtain an Amazon Rewards Credit Card expired at 12:00 Midnight on May 28th.

The current ads and special offers are:

* Earn 3x Points with the http://Amazon.com Rewards Credit Card

* Get 7 complimentary perks with your stay if your credit card says Visa Signature

* Olay Regenerist

* Spend $5 on Kindle Singles and get a $5 http://Amazon.com Gift Card

Bummer! Thanks, Daisy. Need to rethink.